Amalgamation apparatus



Dec. 1, 1942. J; McK. BALLOU AMALGAMATION APPARATUS Filed April 1. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l IFIIZLl.

AH/V BALI-0U,

INVENTOR.

HIS ATTORNEY.

1942. J. M cK. BALLOU 2,303,785

AMALGAMATION APPARATUS Filed April 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I RESH NERCURY L IE- 5. v

JEu-m/ Nc/f. .BnLLou,

INVENTOR,

B Y Mae-W,

HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 1, 1942 STTS This invention relates to ways and means whereby precious minerals can be recovered from and out of even so-called low-grade ores.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide means and ways by which a suitable, desirable, and required amalgam can be prepared, developed, and maintained continuously during the process of amalgamation.

} Another object is to provide means and ways whereby a proper amalgam can be delivered to and maintained at the proper places during the process of amalgamation.

' ing matter.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a schematic illustration of different parts arranged to cooperate according to this PI'OCESS.

' Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a slightly different form of amalgamator shown in side elevation, partly broken away to show inside construction.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the amalgamator, slightly modified, and

partly broken away to show inside construction.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of another slightly modified form of amalgamator, partly broken away to show inside construction.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of still another slightly modified form of amalgamator.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary schematic illustration of a filter inserted in place of retort.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary schematic illustration having electric connections inserted for improving the retention of flouring mercury.

Fig. 8 is a typical cross section amalgamator.

Fig. 1 illustrates best the principal features involved in this invention.

Inasmuch as it is one of the principal features through an I of this invention, to maintain the amalgam continuously in a most efficient condition throughout the process and operation, separate inlet and out- .let is preferably providedfor the freshly fed ore as well as for the amalgam.

6, therefore, designates the inlet for freshly supplied ore, to pass through the amalgamator 1 until it discharges at the outlet 8 over the basin 9.

The inlet for th amalgam, on the other hand, is indicated at 10, so that the amalgam will pass downwardly through the amalgamator contrary to the passage of the ore.

As the amalgam becomes loaded with desired matter, the loaded amalgam is discharged at H.

Though this counter-movement of ore and the amalgam is eventually desired at a slow pace, the operation is, nevertheless, as progressive as possible, and thereby continuous.

This, then, requires as continuously a replenishing of the amalgam as freshly fed ore passes through the amalgamator.

Such an arrangement makes it essential to have some sort of rejuvenating station for the amalgam in the operation.

Moreover, inasmuch as many ores contain matter that prevent, or at least interfere to some extent with, the absorption of desired matter by the amalgam, a suitable charging of the amalgam with suitable fortifying matter is found of value.

A rejuvenating of the amalgam should therefore include a removal of the recovered ore as well as a supplying of new fortifying matter for the amalgam before this reenters the amalgamator.

A removal of desired ore-particles, such as gold, or silver, from any amalgam is easily accomplished by means of a retort i2; and, inasmuch as a continuous operation has been suggested, it should be understood that a battery, or a suitable group, of retorts can easily be arranged, so that one or another of the retorts can be shut off from the operating lines of the whole apparatus by means of valves, such as indicated at E3 and i l, while some of the retorts are in proper operative connection at all times.

Any recovered ore-particles are removed while any of such retorts are shut ofi from the operation.

While in operation, the amalgam-vapor is condensed at it before it discharges at l6 into the recharging device l1.

"i'he previously referred to fortifying is then accomplished in this recharging device ll.

metals and suitable electric means, to electrolyze the solu-' tion in a suitable manner to put the alkali metal or metals into solution in the amalgam, or purified mercury.

However, it should be understood that this invention is not limited, or restricted, to the particular method described above, of recharging the mercury with alkali metals, since sodium, potassium, calcium, and other matters can be directly added to the mercury in the metallic form,

though it was found a cheap and very satisfactory method to load the mercury electrolytically. The recharged mercury is then taken through the line 2i, and, by means of the pump 22, reinjected into the amalgamator l at H).

At times, depending only on surrounding conditions at places of use, it might even be more advantageous to have therecharging device I! at a suitable high location or elevation, distilling all the mercury as it is drawn at H and utilizing the distillation as a means for raising the mercury up to the recharging device H, and letting it then run by gravity back into the amalgamator, that under such conditions would naturally be at a suitably lower location to assure proper operation.

Mercury loaded with gold or silver, etc., not only becomes practically dead, but flours readily; while mercury charged as set forth above is very live or active, to readily pick up, not only gold and silver but even iron, besides, moreover, agglomerating floured mercury again into compact globules, ora large compact mass of liquid.

Thus, near the point of departure of the worked out ore, freshly charged mercury is present in as nearly a state of mechanical quiescence as possible, to catch any mercury that may have a tendency to flour and escape with the discharged tailings, with this system, the eventually flouring mercury being taken along downwardly with the freshly fed in mercury.

Mercury loaded with the desired and recovered ore-particles and that is most readily floured is ready to leave the circuit, to be robbed of its recovered ore-particles and to be recharged as stated above.

The newly charged mercury coming into contact with the wet ore will separate so that the desired ore-particles will go into the mercury while the charging medium will combine with some other particles of the wet ore to be carried on with the tailings.

The advantages of this process are that refractory ores in which gold, or gold and silver do not readily dissolve in mercury, are readily treated at a low expense; and also, ores, in which floured mercury accompanied the gold, are amenable to treatment for the recovery of the mercury itself in the ore, as well as the gold and silver.

Ores in which the mercury occurs as a com pound, such as calomel, or a telluride of mercury,

are amenable to treatment for the recovery of the mercury.

Tellurides of gold and silver also will be broken down, and the gold and silver picked up by the mercury, so long as the alkali metal is present in the mercury.

Going further into the details of the illustrations, any apparatus operative according to this process may easily be improved by different parts that may be modified variously.

An enlargement 23, indicated in Fig. 2, may well serve to form a suitably large body of the fresh mercury through which the upwardly passing stream of almost exhausted wet ore must go before escaping over the basin 9a through the outlet 8a.

Such an enlargement may even be off-set, as indicated at 23a and 23b in Fig. 3, whereby any mercury particles clinging to any barren wet ore after having passed through the body of mercury in the enlargement 23a. is thoroughly shaken off by a whirling motion in the enlargement 23b to drop back to the other mercury.

The mercury is preferably maintained at a level indicated at 24 in Fig. 2, this level being steadied by the provision of an expansion chamber 25, from which any surplus mercury may eventually overflow through a connection 26, to, either, the pump, or even to recharging device IT.

The connection Nib represents the equivalent in E0 of Fig. l, the line Illa being only necessitated through the insertion of the expansion chamber 25, and it should be understood that the expansion chamber may be similarly connected in Fig. l as indicated in Fig. 2.

The expansion chamber is furthermore provided with a window 21, allowing an observation of the proper operation of the mercury level in the apparatus, a vent 28 being merely added as a safety means for any emergency.

Any amalgamator is preferably of a flat or shallow form, as illustrated in Fig. 8 so as to bring every particle of the wet ore into contact with the mercury during the passage from one end of the amalgamator to the other end.

The enlargement in the amalgamator serves particularly to bring the mercury, on entering the amalgamator from the several pipes and other parts, to as perfect a state of rest, to pour quietly down the amalgamator with as nearly a quiet mercury level as possible, which tends to inhibit flouring, and tends also to collect and agglomerate any mercury which may have previously'fioured further down the amalgamator passage.

The expansion chamber 25 permits the mercury which is displaced by the movement of the wet ore in a more or less irregular manner, to spread out without any great change in its general level.

A dehydrator, such as a calcium chloride tube, a sulfuric acid bulb, or other similar device can advantageously be placed in the vent tube, and thus, any air entering the chamber 25 will be dried and purified, so that'it can not iniurethe mercury prematurely depleting the alkali content.

Other slightly modified forms of amalgamators are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, only to show that the particular amalgamator is not absolutely material to this process, as long as the wet ore can be made to suitably contact the mercury,

- and as long as the operation can be made con- 4 or provided with pockets as illustrated in Figs. 5, 1 and 2.

Fig. 6 illustrates that a filter 29 may be inserted between the valve I3 and the condenser 15 instead of the retort 12. For the filtering medium, of course, any suitable material may be used, such as sheepskin, or any other suitable filter-body, well known to any miner, or particularly suitable minerals.

The mercury retaining feature illustrated in Fig. '7 serves distinct purposes, and is applied in some distinct manner, though the particular terminals may be applied at different points of the whole apparatus with equal or similar success, the important feature being to have one terminal 30 at a point in contact with mercury that has already settled practically in a body or a continuous stream in the direction towards the recovering; while the other terminal is arranged at a point away, or distant from such settled body, as indicated at 3 I.

From this it should be understood that the terminals may be quite a distance apart as long as they have the desired relation with respect to the mercury, this being that the one contact or terminal should be at a point at which the mercury is in suspense in the wet ore in floured condition.

With this arrangement the floured mercury will be agglomerated back into the main body of settled mercury by means of the current passing from the terminal 3| to the terminal 38.

In cases where such an electric system is used the main casing of the amalgamator 1 should, of course, be made of insulating material instead of metal.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an apparatus for continuous amalgamating, a box-like structure embodying a narrow conduit of fiat cross section with the oppositely disposed fiat walls of the structure close to one another, the structure having near its lower end an inlet for fresh ore and an outlet for the amalgam and having near the upper end an outlet for tailings and an inlet for fresh amalgam, the conduit being laterally closed so that the ore may be fed under pressure against the downwardly passing amalgam.

2. In an apparatus for continuous amalgamating, a box-like structure embodying a narrow conduit of flat cross section with the oppositely disposed flat walls close to one another, the structure having near its lower end an inlet for fresh ore and an outlet for the amalgam and having near the upper end an outlet for tailings and an inlet for fresh amalgam, the conduit being laterally closed so that the ore may be fed under pressure against the gravitationally downwardly passing amalgam, the structure having pocketenlargements in the conduit for shaking particles from the tailings.

3. In an apparatus for continuous amalgamating, a box-like structure embodying a narrow conduit of flat cross section with the oppositely disposed flat walls close to one another, the structure having near its lower end an inlet for fresh ore and an outlet for the amalgam and having near the upper end an outlet for tailings and an inlet for fresh amalgam, the structure having pocket-enlargements in the upper fiat wall of the inclined conduit for shaking particles from the tailings.

4. In an apparatus for continuous amalgamating, a box-like structure embodying a narrow conduit of fiat cross section with the oppositely disposed flat walls close to one another, the structure having near its lower end an inlet for fresh ore and an outlet for the amalgam and having near the upper end an outlet for tailings and an inlet for fresh amalgam, the conduit being laterally closed so that the ore may be fed under pressure against the gravitationally downwardly passing amalgam, the structure having pocketenlargements in the conduit for shaking particles from the tailing repeatedly until the tailing have passed the inlet of the amalgam.

5. In an apparatus for continuous amalgamating, a box-like structure embodying a narrow conduit of flat cross section with the oppositely disposed flat walls close to one another, the structure having near its lower end an inlet for fresh ore and an outlet for the amalgam and having near the upper end an outlet for tailing and an inlet for fresh amalgam, and means connected to the amalgam-outlet for robbing the amalgam of collected desired ore-particles.

6. In an apparatus for continuous amalgamating, a box-like structure embodying a narrow conduit of flat cross section with the oppositely disposed flat walls close to one another, the structure having near its lower end an inlet for fresh ore and an outlet for the amalgam and having near the upper end an outlet for tailings and an inlet for fresh amalgam, means connected to the amalgam-outlet for robbing the amalgam of collected desired ore-particles, and means for refreshing the amalgam attached to the robbing means ahead of the upper inlet into the conduit.

JOHN MCK. BALLOU. 

